Cost Of Soft Stepping

[Region3]

I went to a club maker today, for 2 reasons.

Firstly to have my lofts and lies checked (and bend my GW to 51), but also to get another opinion on whether my shafts were right for me.

He tested the flex in my clubs which are supposed to be 6.0.
They were actually equivalent to midway between 6.0 & 6.5!

Then I hit some balls with my own 6 iron, and some with a club with a PX 5.5 in.
The 5.5 added 3-4mph to my swing speed with the same swing, and felt better too. It also added quite a bit of spin and a small increase in distance.

So the question is, what is a reasonable price to pay for soft stepping, which he said would make the shafts approximately equivalent to about 5.7, if I wanted to go ahead with it.

Would you change?

 

[Andy]

Who done this for you Region?

Can I ask much he charged?

Andy

 

[Region3]

It was a guy in Leicester. Sounds silly but I don't know his name. He has an ebay account called onestopgolf10
He sounds very knowledgeable (to a numpty like me) and does most of his work for players on the ladies tour.

It was £20 for his time on the launch monitor and checking lofts and lies (with any adjustments necessary) on my irons.

I'll say later on what he's going to charge for the soft stepping if I go ahead with it, as I want to get unbiased opinions first before I say.

 

[Andy]

It was a guy in Leicester. Sounds silly but I don't know his name. He has an ebay account called onestopgolf10
He sounds very knowledgeable (to a numpty like me) and does most of his work for players on the ladies tour.

It was £20 for his time on the launch monitor and checking lofts and lies (with any adjustments necessary) on my irons.

I'll say later on what he's going to charge for the soft stepping if I go ahead with it, as I want to get unbiased opinions first before I say.

Cheers

Andy

 

[JustOne]

I'd change,... how was the dispersion?

 

[Region3]

I'd change,... how was the dispersion?

About the same.

The main advantage for me I think will be not thinking that I have to try to hit it hard to get the best from the club.

Maybe that's all in my head, but the club speed increase tells me the shaft is working better, even if 3-4mph doesn't seem like a lot.

Been thinking about it and the increased spin is probably due to using a brand new club with the 5.5 vs my 18mth old club.

 

[Redwood]

Gary,

Not sure on cost but i guess you'll need one new 3 shaft for your 3 iron, and then his labour to pull the shafts, butt trim them, and reinstall on the next iron up.

I paid £10 to get a shaft pulled and installed on a 3 wood. I guess based on that id be looking to spend £80 upwards for the work to pull/trim/re-fit. Not sure on the cost of the shaft -£20/£30 quid?

 

[Oddsocks]

got to be a rouhg £125-150 quid bill

 

[JustOne]

I'd change,... how was the dispersion?

About the same.

Yep, I'd change,... because if you don't you'll always be wondering.

Alternatively just buy another set

 

[Imurg]

If your 6.0's are really 6.3's and you felt better using the 5.5 then I'd say its got to be worth the change.
You need one heck of a swing speed to get the best from 6.0's let alone 6.3's.
Better to be able to swing smoothly than be thinking you've got to get after every shot to make the club work.

 

[Ethan]

I wouldn't spend £120 soft stepping shafts in a used set. That will take them down about 0.3 or so, not from midway between 6.0 and 6.5 to 5.7. Although some people say that PX are weight matched, not frequency matched, so the flex is not necessarily comparable with he standard Rifle scale or even consistent from set to set.

In any case, I think you would be better selling and buying a new set. Get properly fitted and order exactly the shafts you want. I am sure Titleist can soft step at source as a custom order. Mizuno certainly can.

If you want aftermarket corrections, make sure the fitter knows what they are doing. Many don't, and PX can be tricky to work with.

 

[Region3]

Alternatively just buy another set

Noooooooo, I'm keeping them for years yet. Like Trigger's brush

 

[Region3]

I wouldn't spend £120 soft stepping shafts in a used set. That will take them down about 0.3 or so, not from midway between 6.0 and 6.5 to 5.7. Although some people say that PX are weight matched, not frequency matched, so the flex is not necessarily comparable with he standard Rifle scale or even consistent from set to set.

In any case, I think you would be better selling and buying a new set. Get properly fitted and order exactly the shafts you want. I am sure Titleist can soft step at source as a custom order. Mizuno certainly can.

If you want aftermarket corrections, make sure the fitter knows what they are doing. Many don't, and PX can be tricky to work with.

Oops. I told him to go ahead with it earlier

Oh well. I did think about changing clubs, but decided it would be too expensive based on what I thought I could get for mine.

It's costing £100 for the soft stepping, but that doesn't include putting new grips on because I decided I wanted to have a go myself.

He said the soft stepping would take them down about 0.5.
If he'd have said 0.3 I'm not sure I'd have gone with it.

I'm worried now. It could be a waste of time

 

[Ethan]

I wouldn't spend £120 soft stepping shafts in a used set. That will take them down about 0.3 or so, not from midway between 6.0 and 6.5 to 5.7. Although some people say that PX are weight matched, not frequency matched, so the flex is not necessarily comparable with he standard Rifle scale or even consistent from set to set.

In any case, I think you would be better selling and buying a new set. Get properly fitted and order exactly the shafts you want. I am sure Titleist can soft step at source as a custom order. Mizuno certainly can.

If you want aftermarket corrections, make sure the fitter knows what they are doing. Many don't, and PX can be tricky to work with.

Oops. I told him to go ahead with it earlier

Oh well. I did think about changing clubs, but decided it would be too expensive based on what I thought I could get for mine.

It's costing £100 for the soft stepping, but that doesn't include putting new grips on because I decided I wanted to have a go myself.

He said the soft stepping would take them down about 0.5.
If he'd have said 0.3 I'm not sure I'd have gone with it.

I'm worried now. It could be a waste of time

Just my opinion based on what I have read from expert clubfitters. I think that it is generally accepted that softstepping x 1 will bring the flex down about 1/3 - 1/4 of a flex. You could softstep x 2, though, I suppose, but then you need 2 extra shafts, so the cost rises a bit more.

The other bit is the statement that his PX 6.0 actually flex out at between 6.0 and 6.5. I am not sure what this means. If it means that they flex at 6.whatever on the Rifle scale, that is actually as should be. PX play firmer than Rifles, so although it sounds stupid, a Rifle 5.5 flexes out at 5.5, but a PX 5.5 flexes out closer to 6.0 on the Rifle scale. PX and Rifle flexes are not the same.

 

[Region3]

Just my opinion based on what I have read from expert clubfitters. I think that it is generally accepted that softstepping x 1 will bring the flex down about 1/3 - 1/4 of a flex. You could softstep x 2, though, I suppose, but then you need 2 extra shafts, so the cost rises a bit more.

The other bit is the statement that his PX 6.0 actually flex out at between 6.0 and 6.5. I am not sure what this means. If it means that they flex at 6.whatever on the Rifle scale, that is actually as should be. PX play firmer than Rifles, so although it sounds stupid, a Rifle 5.5 flexes out at 5.5, but a PX 5.5 flexes out closer to 6.0 on the Rifle scale. PX and Rifle flexes are not the same.

I know nothing about clubmaking but I'm assuming that softstepping x2 is not an option because he said I could collect them tomorrow. I guess that's pulling and refitting today, then the glue drying overnight?

My assumption when he said they were about 6.2 was that he meant PX6.2 rather than 6.2 on the Rifle scale. I could be wrong.
I thought he meant mine were slighlty stiffer than PX6.0 should be.

If tolerances on making shafts are such that the flexes aren't guaranteed to be spot on, and some shafts came off the production line that flexed equivalent to PX6.2 would they be labelled as 6.0 or 6.5?
Or are they that accurate in making them that it wouldn't happen?

I think it's going to be a case of suck it and see, I might not even be able to tell the difference

 

[Ethan]

Just my opinion based on what I have read from expert clubfitters. I think that it is generally accepted that softstepping x 1 will bring the flex down about 1/3 - 1/4 of a flex. You could softstep x 2, though, I suppose, but then you need 2 extra shafts, so the cost rises a bit more.

The other bit is the statement that his PX 6.0 actually flex out at between 6.0 and 6.5. I am not sure what this means. If it means that they flex at 6.whatever on the Rifle scale, that is actually as should be. PX play firmer than Rifles, so although it sounds stupid, a Rifle 5.5 flexes out at 5.5, but a PX 5.5 flexes out closer to 6.0 on the Rifle scale. PX and Rifle flexes are not the same.

I know nothing about clubmaking but I'm assuming that softstepping x2 is not an option because he said I could collect them tomorrow. I guess that's pulling and refitting today, then the glue drying overnight?

My assumption when he said they were about 6.2 was that he meant PX6.2 rather than 6.2 on the Rifle scale. I could be wrong.
I thought he meant mine were slighlty stiffer than PX6.0 should be.

If tolerances on making shafts are such that the flexes aren't guaranteed to be spot on, and some shafts came off the production line that flexed equivalent to PX6.2 would they be labelled as 6.0 or 6.5?
Or are they that accurate in making them that it wouldn't happen?

I think it's going to be a case of suck it and see, I might not even be able to tell the difference

Softstepping x 2 doesn't mean doing it twice. Softstepping involves putting the 3 iron shaft in the 4 iron, trimmed to length, 4 iron shaft in the 5 and so on. This means you need a new 3 iron shaft (although one intended for a 2 iron).

Softstepping x 2 means putting the 3 iron shaft in the 5 and butt trimming twice as much, the 4 iron shaft in the 6 etc, so you now need new shafts for the 3 and 4. That simply gives double the flex reduction as single softstepping but takes no longer nor costs any more, extra shaft aside.

 

[viscount17]

If tolerances on making shafts are such that the flexes aren't guaranteed to be spot on, and some shafts came off the production line that flexed equivalent to PX6.2 would they be labelled as 6.0 or 6.5?
Or are they that accurate in making them that it wouldn't happen?

Isn't that what the Frequency matching is about and why they cost more?

 

[Ethan]

If tolerances on making shafts are such that the flexes aren't guaranteed to be spot on, and some shafts came off the production line that flexed equivalent to PX6.2 would they be labelled as 6.0 or 6.5?
Or are they that accurate in making them that it wouldn't happen?

Isn't that what the Frequency matching is about and why they cost more?

Indeed, but PX are not frequency matched. Rifles are.

PX are weight sorted instead. As are TT DG, but to wider tolerances.

 

[Region3]

Softstepping x 2 doesn't mean doing it twice. Softstepping involves putting the 3 iron shaft in the 4 iron, trimmed to length, 4 iron shaft in the 5 and so on. This means you need a new 3 iron shaft (although one intended for a 2 iron).

Softstepping x 2 means putting the 3 iron shaft in the 5 and butt trimming twice as much, the 4 iron shaft in the 6 etc, so you now need new shafts for the 3 and 4. That simply gives double the flex reduction as single softstepping but takes no longer nor costs any more, extra shaft aside.

What I meant was that my 3 iron shaft is already in my 4 iron by now, so going x2 would mean the whole procedure again.

 

[Ethan]

Softstepping x 2 doesn't mean doing it twice. Softstepping involves putting the 3 iron shaft in the 4 iron, trimmed to length, 4 iron shaft in the 5 and so on. This means you need a new 3 iron shaft (although one intended for a 2 iron).

Softstepping x 2 means putting the 3 iron shaft in the 5 and butt trimming twice as much, the 4 iron shaft in the 6 etc, so you now need new shafts for the 3 and 4. That simply gives double the flex reduction as single softstepping but takes no longer nor costs any more, extra shaft aside.

What I meant was that my 3 iron shaft is already in my 4 iron by now, so going x2 would mean the whole procedure again.

OK. Give them a bash and see what they feel like.

How did your pro diagnose they were closer to midway between 6.0 and 6.5?